Sunday, April 21, 2013

Review: Days of Love and Blood by R.S. Carter

The
Demon Virus spreads worldwide in a matter of days leaving nothing but a
few uninfected people in its path along with disease-riddled survivors
who possess homicidal tendencies.

Carson drives across the
country, back to her parents’ farm, with her son Ronan to begin a new
life in a post-apocalyptic world. There she discovers more uninfected
people like herself and attempts to build new relationships after the
devastating loss of her husband.

Two men distract Carson from her
grief, each possessing different characteristics that she found, loved
and needed in her husband. Cooper has a bad attitude but gives Carson
the space she needs with his self-sufficient, independent ways. Ben
panders after her but exhibits a kindness she appreciates. Neither of
them embody all of which she lost in her husband’s death.

The
need for human interaction intertwines with the daily struggle of
tribulation, remorse and adjustment, revolving around the constant
battles between the uninfected and the last remaining homicidal maniacs.
Days of Love and Blood is a story which examines the
bonds created between people in times of change with an unexpected
shocking end that will have you questioning your own threshold for pain.

My Review:

I was lucky enough to get a copy of Days of Love and Blood so
I can post a honest review, and I am going to do exactly that.

I was exceptionally pleased with this novel, and am fully satisfied now that I have completed it.

To
begin with, the idea of the story is really cool. The zombie apocalypse
seems to be the in-thing now (not that I am complaining) and Carter
finds a new spin to put on this genre. A "Demon Virus" spread throughout
the world, destroying the majority of the world's population, except
for those who lack the certain gene that it affects (reason to get your
genome coded, am I right?) If the Virus itself does not kill the victim
(which it will, eventually), they will become a "homicidal" - still be
able to speak and move, but losing all sense of remorse, and feeling the
need to kill everyone not infected with the virus.

Which leads us to another great part of the novel, the excellent characters.

Our
protagonist is Carson, a tough young mother who is trying to keep her
son, Ronan, alive. I found Carson a realistic character, and pretty
awesome. First of all, she kills the homicidals with her two swords. If
that doesn't make one a BAMF, nothing does. She is clever, witty, and
her love for her son is very inspirational.

After traveling
alone with her son in an RV, Carson comes across a farm area that houses
a group of survivors - including her childhood friend, Ivy, as well as
Cooper. Cooper has problems with his anger, and can be impulsive, but he
also proves to be very loving and entertaining. I thought that he was a
great character.

All of the characters in Days of Love and
Blood were well-crafted and believable. I thought the dialogue was very
realistic, which is refreshing to see.

Another great thing about
this novel is the psychological issues that are addressed within the
story. Showing how people can cope with so much loss, and how this near
end-of-the-world situation affects personalities. I also really enjoyed
the idea of questioning what is right and what is wrong, especially on
the topic of killing. That is something that I like to address in my own
writing, and it is always cool to see it in the works of others. I was
blown away by how perfect Carson's character grew and responded to this
topic.